Hot Topics:

HOLLOMAN GEARS UP FOR OKTOBERFEST

49th Wing Public Affairs

Posted:
08/20/2014 04:52:34 PM MDT

Officials with the German Air Force and the 49th Wing are preparing for the 18th annual Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 2 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the GAF Maintenance Hangar, building 286.

Tickets for the event, which is open to the public, will start the week of Aug. 25. Tickets are $14 and can be purchased off base at all Otero Federal Credit Unions and the Chamber of Commerce. On base purchases are available at the German Air Force headquarters building, Room 2231. Individuals will also have the opportunity to purchase tickets the day of the event at the front gate for $16. No tickets required for admission of anyone 16 years old and under. All tickets are non-refundable. All patrons under 21 years old must leave the event by 9 p.m.

For this year's event, the last shuttle service pickup in Alamogordo will be at 8 p.m.

Included in the price of admission is a beer stein, first filling and a bus shuttle service to and from Holloman.

The event will include original and authentic German food such as bratwurst, schnitzel, leberkäse as well as soft drinks, wine and Oktoberfest beer.

Four routes will run in order to accommodate everyone wishing to attend. Each bus route will bring patrons directly to the base and travel the same route to return attendees home.

Individuals who do not have a government ID, Distinguished Visitor ID or Friends of Holloman ID must take the buses to get on base. Tickets and a form of identification are required for base entry.

The history of the Oktoberfest in Germany began with the Royal Wedding on October 12, 1810. Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. The fields were renamed "Theresienwiese" ("Theresa's Fields") to honor the Crown Princess. Horse races in the presence of the royal family marked the close of the event that was celebrated as a festival for Bavaria. The decision to repeat the horse races in subsequent years gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest.

Today, the German version of Oktoberfest is the biggest fair in the world and is known worldwide. What's special and attractive about the Oktoberfest is its ability to combine a celebration for the locals and an international mega-event, a combination of traditions and high-tech new ideas and influences.

And why does Oktoberfest start in September? Well, it does finish in October, but due to the cool weather in Germany, the organizers decided it would be better to start it on the third weekend in September.

For more information, contact GAF public affairs office at 572-2612 or the 49th Wing Public Affairs office 572-7381.

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas man has been charged with impersonating an officer by using sirens and flashing lights to skip to the head of the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. Full Story